Note: This SMC goes live early in order to align with the beginning of February. You’ve already got an post due for that day, so this shouldn’t be a problem.

After blogging for three weeks, you should have a feel for what works, what doesn’t, and how to plan your attack. So far you’ve been doing sprints, but this week will be a 5K. Beginning with Monday, Feb. 1, you will post something EVERY day to your personal blog. This will not be easy, but you can do it, and at the end you’ll have a newfound respect for those who do this every week.

You may, however, post a schedule of what you have planned, but this means you’ll need to actually plan what you’re going to do.

Likewise, no posting about how you don’t know what to post. Use the skills from previous challenges, ideas from your blogroll, comments from other students … ANYTHING that leads to a substantive post!

Your final post (Monday, Feb. 8 ) should be an overview of the blog-a-day week experience. What did you learn? What was difficult? What got easier over time? Post this link to the comments section of this assignment by noon, Monday, Feb. 8.

EXTRA CREDIT: Now that you’ve finished your 5K, try for a marathon! For every week in February that you post every day, you’ll earn a point of extra credit. Post for the entire month – that’s February 1 to February 28 – and you’ll earn 5 extra points total.

All the above rules apply – no metacommentary, no garbage posts – with two exceptions:

In Week 3 (Feb. 14-20), you may make one post about the blog month experience so far.

On February 28, you may post an overview of your blog month experience.

You might want to check out the National Blog Posting Month website (http://www.nablopomo.com/) for advice and support – you can even sign up to win prizes.

Mainly, though, you should have fun as you learn firsthand just what goes into regular blogging.

I thought I’d share this link to a story in the Charleston Daily Mail that profiled our class (the WBOY story hasn’t been broadcast yet, to my knowledge – I guess they’re saving us for a rainy day). I wish there had been some student voices in this, but it’s nice that the word is getting out.

The outcome of the Daily Mail story brought up a question in my mind. On the day of publication, several people who read the story retweeted it on Twitter and begin to follow my account. This is where I’ve been publishing our class updates, so it makes sense, but it occurs to me that perhaps an account specifically dedicated to the class might make more sense. This way, those interested in the class and YOUR work (rather than my other ramblings) could get a less cluttered feed of what’s going on.

What do you all think? If you think we should create a class-specific Twitter account, how should it be maintained? Should someone be in charge, or should every member of the class have access? I hope to hear some suggestions in the comment section.

First, some innovation news: Journalists are trying out Foursquare as a news tool. Metro, a Canadian paper, will begin integrating Foursquare with their content, allowing followers to receive mobile alerts when they’re in the vicinity of a story Metro has covered. Here’s the link to Metro’s own story on the team-up. Keep this in mind as you prepare to develop your own innovation projects.

(While you’re at it, take note of how a liveblog works – liveblogging tonight’s State of the Union could be a nifty post!)

For week 4, we’re going to be talking about links as the atomic unit of online communication. The hyperlink is an obvious use of linking, but social media applications employ linking in their own way. So let’s read about links:

Bill Thompson talks about links as the key component of “the semantic Web.” We may argue, as he puts it, “a link is just a link,” yet often there is more going on in the way the link is used.

Finally, here’s a business-oriented strategy guide to “link wheels” focused on getting your site into the thick of bigger sites’ linking process. What’s your impression of what the author describes?

What do you think about links? What is the nature of a link, and what are the ways in which we use them? Do you agree that the link is the fundamental unit of online communication? Finally, what kind of ethics and etiquette do you see as necessary for linking in journalistic and personal work?

Remember to respond to this post by noon on Monday, Feb. 1. As always, responses should be around 200 words, and links to arguments or evidence on your own blog or elsewhere are strongly recommended.

Last week you built and annotated a blogroll to follow in your own blogging pursuits. As Dan Gillmor tells us, though, the Read-Write Web isn’t simply about taking what you need – you also have to become part of the conversation. This week you’re going to make your voice heard.

You must post at least 10 substantive comments to the blogs you read (I will only count one comment to an individual blog, and will deduct points if too many are made at once). The majority of these should be to blogs in your blogroll, but some outsiders are acceptable. Be sure to include your email and blog address when you post, or it won’t count! To verify your work:

Go to your Dashboard

Click “My Comments” (under “Dashboard” in the top left)

Print this page and turn it in at next Tuesday’s class.

Note: A substantive comment goes beyond saying “Great ideas” or other spammer-speak to build on and extend the conversation. Run with their ideas! This brings us to part 2 …

Part 2: Keep the conversation going – DUE: Noon, Monday, Feb. 1

Since the blogs in your blogroll are all aimed at your focus, you should be able to synthesize several of the ideas they present into something new that takes their ideas further. For this assignment, you will construct a blog post that brings together posts from at least three members of your blogroll and says something new about all of them.

Add a link to your post (not your main blog page) and a one-sentence description to the comments of this post by the due date.

Note: Although some summarization will be necessary, that’s NOT the point of this assignment. Instead, you must build an original discussion or argument upon these others’ ideas. Be sure to link as needed in order to give credit where it is due.

And in the meantime …

From now on, updating your blog is your responsibility. For the rest of the semester, each week (including this one) you must post at least two original posts (class assignments don’t count) to your personal blog. The majority of these posts should be in line with your focus – some deviation is natural as your ideas develop – and your posts must fall at least 24 hours apart (no posting all at once to get it out of the way).

In addition, you must add a calendar to your sidebar:

Go to your Dashboard > Appearance > Widgets

Drag the “Calendar” widget to your sidebar (on the right) and click “Save”

In your first post, you introduced yourself and suggested a focus for your blog. This assignment required you to solidify that focus and identify sources of information that will contribute to your writings.

(A reminder: This assignment is already complete. From now on, you’ll be posting your Social Media Challenge links directly to the comment section of the relevant assignment’s post.)

Part 1: Find a focus – Due: Noon, Thursday, Jan. 21

Post a blog mission statement. This can be the idea you touched on in week 1 or something new, but it must be clear and focused. You want your focus to be specific yet rich enough for regular updates. Avoid being too broad (e.g., “pop culture”) – if you say you will write about something general like “sports,” you’ll need to spell out what a reader might get out of reading your site compared to the countless other sports sites out there. In 3-4 paragraphs, tell your readers what they can expect from your blog and how that subject will be informed by your perspective.

Part 2: Identify sources to help you – Due: Noon, Monday Jan. 25

Blogging isn’t something you have to do on your own. With your focused topic in mind, it’s time to identify some sources to help you on that path. You will identify 10 blogs to follow. Each of these blogs should inform your topic in some way – for example, a social media blog might draw on http://www.readwriteweb.com. You’ll need to complete the following steps:

Ray Zawodni has specified the mission of my blog to focus on athlete performances and acting performances. For example: Who should win best actor? who are the top ten quarterbacks of the decade? Who are the main factors in why the underdog Jets have made it so far in the playoffs? or why is Johnny Depp the most overrated actor in Hollywood? etc…

Concluding our first series of posts, here are the group’s thoughts on what the good and bad of blogging mean for where journalism is headed. You can review the good (both posts) and bad through these links.

An additional note: I’ve noticed that this approach to posting responses is perpetually out-of-date, so I’m revising it. From the next posting assignment on, you’ll be posting your links and descriptions to the comment section of each Social Media Challenge. Since you’ve already gotten (and completed) SMC #2, I’ll post those responses in the old way, but from here on in, post your links in the comments for the relevant assignment.

And now … The FUTURE!

Casey Hofmann urges you to check your facts, or the bloggers will do it for you.

Gabrielle Ash believes the future will involve more blogging and less journalists.

Austin Sanders considers how blogging and the future of journalism have changed from 1995 to the present and how even facebook and twitter can be used through your tv.

Brittany Nelson is thinking about using blogging to make money, create Internet celebrities, and engaging the mobile movement.

Garrett Cullen talks about the future world of journalism possibly moving more towards video blogging as the next step on the Internet.

Rachel Davis discusses how the futures of blogging and journalism are secure because of the trend of Journalists becoming bloggers and the need for blogging as a check on journalism, and journalism as a source of information for blogs.

Supplementing your text for next week – the introduction and chapters 1 & 2 in We the Media – are a few readings/viewings that address just where the Internet came from and where it’s going. This kind of historical grounding is vital if we’re to have an idea about where to take online communication.

First, take a look at this piece from the Internet Society, “A Brief History of the Internet.” You might skim some of the more terminology-heavy sections, but be sure to focus on the motivations of the players involved.

As a companion, here’s a timeline of the stages of development for how the Internet came to be. I’m also including Hobbes’ Internet Timeline (now up-to-date!), which is an EXHAUSTIVE listing of events – don’t try to read the whole thing, but DO use it as a reference.

Finally, let your reading muscles relax and watch this video on just where the Internet came from:

Is the Internet something invented by an individual? Just where did it come from, and in what forms has it existed? How do its origins inform the things we use it for today?

(Also, for the nerds, the graphics used in this video are a new flavor called PICOL icons. They’re an effort to create a standardized electronic sign system, and can be altered by users – a neat idea, if not exactly new.)

Since I’m a little late getting this up, I’m pushing back the response deadline for this week to noon on Tuesday (future responses will still be due Monday). Responses should be around 200 words, and feel free to include links to arguments or evidence on your own blog or elsewhere. Remember to post a response to the comments of this post no later than that deadline.